After 2017, New York Yankees fans expected to see Thairo Estrada in the bigs sooner rather than later. Now, it is unknown when the shortstop might get his promotion.
After New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius underwent Tommy John surgery last year, the front office needed to find short-term replacements. General manager Brian Cashman picked up Troy Tulowitzki and DJ LeMahieu to fill in the vacancies until Gregorius returns.
And with the current depth in New York, it doesn’t seem that prospect Thairo Estrada will see himself in pinstripes this season. But considering the contract status of several infielders, it’s reasonable to consider when Estrada will earn his big promotion.
By the end of 2017, the infielder looked like he may be ready for the MLB in 2018. Of course, his impressive numbers came against Double-A and Fall League pitchers.
Estrada endured a string of bad luck last year, all beginning with a gunshot wound last January. Then, the Venezuelan faced multiple setbacks, including a wrist and back injury. All of the obstacles allowed Estrada to play just 37 games total in the calendar year.
And when he did play, the shortstop struggled mightily. During his first stint in Triple-A, Estrada owned a .176 average across eight games. Surely, that small sample size cannot be used to predict his future success.
Estrada’s best asset is his range and versatility in the field. He has middle-of-the-pack speed, since he can swipe double-digit bases. But stolen bases seem less important than power numbers in today’s game, so that might be a disadvantage to him.
However, Estrada will need to demonstrate some durability and regroup at the dish if he hopes to be considered a top prospect again. Fortunately for him, he has plenty of time to translate his potential into consistent numbers, since he makes plenty of contact.
More importantly, the Yankees prospect will get to see some action in Spring Training. Although, many fans and analysts remain skeptical about statistics before the season begins, which is understandable.
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Still, the 22-year-old still likely needs a few years before he is in an MLB jersey. New York has the position covered this season, even without Gregorius until at least June.
However, Gregorius and Tulowitzki will both be free agents after the upcoming campaign. If the Yankees sign Manny Machado, that will fill the vacancy for the next few seasons. Yet, that seems less unlikely with each passing day.
But the only other notable shortstop free agent after this season is Xander Bogaerts, an enemy to New Yorkers. Thus, there is a chance a farm system product has a chance to start of the Yankees in 2020.
Nevertheless, general manager Brian Cashman could mix things up as always. Therefore, it is unknown when Estrada will get his call. It could be soon, but it could also be after a few seasons or even with another team.